A known goal unit of this kind used in a fishing reel of the multiplier type is provided for automatically changing the gear ratio between the drive shaft, provided with a handle, of the fishing reel and the line spool. This known gear unit, sometimes referred to as dual-type gear unit, has two driving gears of different diameter which are mounted on the drive shaft and each of which engages a gear drive on the shaft of the line spool in order to drive the line spool at different gear ratios. A plurality of friction washers provide a friction coupling between the drive shaft and the driving gears. The driving gears are rotatable relative to the drive shaft against the frictional force produced by the friction washers. This frictional force can be set for both driving gears by means of a common adjusting knob screwed on the drive shaft. The known gear unit is so adapted that the friction washers, for a given position of the adjusting knob, produce a smaller frictional force on the larger driving gear than on the smaller driving gear. When the resistance to line retrieve exerted on the line spool by the line and depending on the weight of the lure or the size and behavior of the fish is low, the line spool is driven by the larger driving gear, and the line is retrieved at a relatively high speed. When the resistance to line retrieve becomes so high that the frictional force exerted on the larger driving gear is overcome, the drive shaft will slip in relation to the larger driving wheel, the line spool being driven by the smaller driving gear, such that the line is retrieved at a lower speed. When the resistance to line retrieve becomes so high that also the frictional force exerted on the smaller driving gear is overcome, the line spool will not be driven at all since, in such a case, the drive shaft will be slipping in relation to the two driving gears.
The frictional force exerted on the two driving gears by the friction washers is set by means of the adjusting knob depending on the type of lure used and/or depending on the type of fishing. One drawback of the dual-type gear unit described above is that the adjusting knob is common to all the friction washers and, thus, to both driving gears, which means that the frictional force exerted on one driving gear cannot be set independently of the frictional force exerted on the other driving gear. Therefore, a change of the frictional force exerted on one driving gear entails a corresponding change of the frictional force exerted on the other driving gear.